James Marsden

Born on Sept. 18, 1973 in Stillwater, OK, Marsden grew up desiring the career and charisma of Tom Cruise, thanks to repeated viewings of "Top Gun" (1986) and "Days of Thunder" (1990). Thankfully for Marsden, he already had the clean-cut, All-American good looks. His father, a meat and poultry inspector, and his mother, a nutritionist, divorced when he was just nine years old. After graduating Putnam City North High School, Marsden studied broadcast journalism at Oklahoma State University, but quit after only a year and a half. He opted instead to move to Los Angeles and become an actor, but realized that he had no contacts. His dad, however, happened to know a casting director, who in turn k...